


our first and last

by kinos



Series: rule #3: the b-sides [1]
Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Requested!, past wooki, rule #3 universe, valentine’s au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 20:19:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13666560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinos/pseuds/kinos
Summary: The first time Hyunggu celebrates Valentine’s Day with Wooseok, they’re only seven.





	our first and last

**Author's Note:**

> for the anon who requested this, thank you for letting me go back into the rule #3 verse for a bit. i kinda missed it. this one’s for you, i hope you like it!
> 
> p/s: for those who haven’t read rule #3, you can read it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11811027)... it’ll make a lot more sense if you do heh

The first time Hyunggu celebrates Valentine’s Day with Wooseok, they’re only seven.

At the time, his only understanding of the celebration is what he sees on tv; heart-shaped balloons and red roses, gifts and chocolates galore, men kissing women, women kissing men.

So Hyunggu is confused when Wooseok comes over to play that day, a wilting flower plucked from his own garden in one hand, a strawberry flavoured lollipop in the other.

He’s even more confused when Wooseok says, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Hyunggu-ya,” before he gives Hyunggu a small peck on the cheek, making them both blush so hard that they can’t even look at each other.

Hyunggu has definitely never seen _that_ on tv.

—

The second time they celebrate Valentine’s Day together, they’re a little older, not by much, only three years, but Wooseok’s grown a bit taller now and Hyunggu looks like he hasn’t aged at all.

Wooseok brings him a nicer flower this time. Still from his own garden, but instead of the ones that grow by his fence, it’s one of those fancy flowers that his mother actually bothers taking care of, and by the cheeky grin on his face, Hyunggu can tell that he’d secretly nicked it and probably hid it under his shirt when he left the house.

And when Wooseok wishes him a Happy Valentine’s Day, it’s Hyunggu who kisses his cheek first, getting up on his tiptoes to reach him, dainty fingers balancing on his shoulders.

Wooseok’s face turns bright red, and Hyunggu feels his heart bloom like the flower that he’s holding.

—

They’re thirteen when they have their first real fight, over something as silly as Hyunggu going to a birthday party without Wooseok, hanging out with people other than him for once in his life.

“I thought we did everything together!” Wooseok cries when Hyunggu finds him waiting by his door as soon as he comes back from the party, sounding genuinely hurt, face torn.

“It’s not my fault you weren’t invited!” Hyunggu yells back, wondering why Wooseok is getting mad at him when he should be upset at the person who threw the party and forgot to invite him.

“Well-” Wooseok stops himself from saying whatever it is that he wants to say, his head shaking instead. “You know what, never mind.” He doesn’t bother saying anything else, doesn’t even bother saying goodbye.

He just walks away, and they don’t talk for a week.

He walks away, and Hyunggu wishes he’d just told him that the party was no fun without him. That nothing is ever fun without him.

Especially not Valentine’s Day.

Hyunggu spends it alone this time, because Wooseok still refuses to speak to him, and he refuses to just let go of his pride, to be the first to apologise. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to apologise for.

He spends it alone, no flowers, no candy, and when Hwitaek comes home with gifts in his hand, Hyunggu snatches the small bag of chocolates that’s tucked under his arm, saying, “Thanks, hyung.”

“Hey-”

Hyunggu peeks at the drawing that he’s holding. “Is that supposed to be you? It’s not bad.” He pops a piece of chocolate in his mouth. “This isn’t bad too.” With an obnoxious grin, he adds, “You should date whoever gave it to you.”

His brother’s face flushes at that, and before he gets embarrassed, he tries to get the chocolates back, asking, “Why are you taking my things? Hasn’t Wooseok given you his annual Valentine’s gifts?”

Hyunggu’s face falls at the mention of his name, and Hwitaek winces, only then remembering that the two of them were fighting, offering an apologetic smile.

“Keep the chocolate, Hyunggu-ya,” he says, patting Hyunggu’s cheek before he disappears into his room, not wanting to upset his brother any further.

Hyunggu stuffs three more pieces of chocolate in his mouth and watches cheesy rom-coms for the rest of the day.

He finds a single flower on his doorstep the next morning – _a yellow rose, for friendships and apologies, according to the internet_ – and he thinks that maybe Wooseok’s Valentine’s Day was just as lonely as his.

—

They’re fifteen when Hyunggu starts getting Valentine’s gifts from other people, after he’d suddenly gotten taller and skinnier, his face now angled and sharp, his mornings spent in front of the mirror to make sure his hair looked good.

He gets anonymous letters on his desk, stuffed into his locker, even slipped into his bag when he isn’t paying attention. He gets teddy bears from girls who are too shy to even look him in the eye, phone numbers from boys who smirk at him in the hallways.

Wooseok doesn’t say it, but Hyunggu can tell that he’s jealous.

“You’ve been getting a lot of gifts too,” Hyunggu comments, gesturing at the obvious pile on Wooseok’s own desk, the presents left unattended.

Wooseok just shrugs his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter.”

He’s right, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how many nice presents or cute letters that either of them get, how many people come after them in hopes that they’ll be their Valentine, because it’s still Hyunggu that Wooseok wants as his Valentine this year, just like every year. And it’s still Wooseok’s flower that Hyunggu accepts this year, just like every year.

It doesn’t matter, because they’re still each other’s Valentines. They’ll always be each other’s Valentines.

And not even a month later, they’re finally each other’s boyfriends too.

—

The first – _and only_ – Valentine’s Day that Hyunggu and Wooseok spend together as an actual couple, Wooseok takes them out for dinner in one of those fancy restaurants that Shinwon always talks about, the two of them getting all dolled up, all excited grins and fluttering stomachs.

This time, Wooseok goes all out. He’s got a whole bouquet of red roses, a bundle of heart-shaped balloons, gifts and chocolates, all for Hyunggu. Just like he’d seen on tv.

They eat nice food with names that they can’t even pronounce, and they order grape juice so that they can pretend they’re drinking wine like everyone else in the restaurant. They talk about how Hyunggu had just made the cheerleading squad, how Wooseok passed the tryouts for the basketball team, how they were one of those perfect couples now. Just like the ones they see on tv.

And it is perfect. So perfect.

Except Wooseok only holds his hand under the table, and Hyunggu wishes he could just hold it like everyone else. Like how they do on tv.

“Come on, Hyunggu, you know how it is here,” Wooseok tries to tell him, voice gentle, giving him a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “People will talk.”

“They’re already talking,” Hyunggu says back, unable to hold back the frown on his face, knowing that everyone in this restaurant has had their eyes on them the entire night. “So what?”

Still, Wooseok only holds his hand under the table, and Hyunggu just lets go.

When they leave, balloons and roses and gifts and chocolates looking like a joke now, Wooseok takes his hand again, and he kisses him. He kisses Hyunggu out in the open, the same way that he kisses him in the safety of their own homes, like they have nothing to hide. He kisses Hyunggu, just like on tv, and now, Hyunggu doesn’t want to let go. He should never let go.

But he hears the nasty insults thrown at them when people walk past, sees the dirty looks on their faces when he pulls away from Wooseok, and Hyunggu knows exactly why he never saw this on tv.

—

The first time Hyunggu celebrates Valentine’s Day without Wooseok, they’ve only just turned seventeen, only just recently broken up.

Hyunggu still gets anonymous letters stuffed into his locker, Wooseok still ignores the ones that find their way onto his desk.

They’re still friends, they are, but Hyunggu can’t find it in him to even look at Wooseok that day, everything around them a reminder of what they used to be, what they could have still been. And Wooseok can’t seem to look at him either.

They’re still friends, but that day, they feel like strangers.

Hyunggu pretends to smile when he has lunch with the others, cooing when Hongseok shows off the flowers that Jinho had delivered to him, laughing when Shinwon shoos away a junior who tries to give him a gift, rolling his eyes when Changgu and Yanan say that they don’t have Valentines, that they’re just going to spend the day with each other. He even cheers when Hyojong dramatically showers Hwitaek with gifts – _he swears he’s eaten those chocolates before_ – and for a moment there, it’s enough to make him forget about Wooseok. Not much, but just enough.

But later that night, Hyunggu finds Wooseok standing on his porch, a familiar wilting flower in one hand, and his favourite strawberry lollipop in the other. And he knows that nothing will ever really be enough to make him forget about Wooseok.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Hyunggu-ya,” Wooseok whispers, so softly that it sounds almost like a dream, and he leans down to press a small kiss to Hyunggu’s cheek, his lips ghosting over his skin like a memory.

And right then, they’re seven again, wilting flowers and strawberry lollipops. They’re ten, burning red and blooming hearts. They’re thirteen, friendships and apologies. They’re fifteen, Valentines and boyfriends. They’re sixteen, holding hands, kissing, and Hyunggu really wishes he hadn’t let go.

They’re only seventeen, but this is the last time Hyunggu celebrates Valentine’s Day with Wooseok.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are very much appreciated! ♡
> 
> find me on:  
> ➳ [twitter](https://twitter.com/ao3kino)   
> ➳ [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/ao3kino)  
> ➳ [listography](https://listography.com/forkinos)


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